


Flannel Sheets

by VelvetSky



Series: In Need Of [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Holidays, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-16 23:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13064511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VelvetSky/pseuds/VelvetSky
Summary: Darcy decides the colder weather means it's time for flannel sheets.





	Flannel Sheets

**Author's Note:**

> Unbetaed, sorry for any associated issues.
> 
> Written for the WinterShock Winter Wonderland Ball 2017. Hopefully I did this properly. Takes place in a verse I wrote a couple prior stories in, but don’t think they have to be read to follow this story.

Darcy and Bucky had been together since spring when he’d found the kittens, who were nearly full grown. The holiday season was approaching as the crisp fall air was beginning to turn colder on average and the feeling of winter was upon The City. The Tower was always reasonably warm, and the heating system worked very well. Tony made sure it was always in top shape. Still, Darcy always felt like it was colder even inside when the weather turned colder outside. She’d given up her room in the Tower six months ago and fully moved in with Bucky back in May after some weeks of her place largely acting as a storage for her things while she spent most of her time in his room. Bucky didn’t seem to care what she brought in or how she decided to decorate, he just wanted her there. Even the stuffed animal on the bed didn’t phase him, actually, she’d found Bucky cuddling it on a couple of occasions when she came in late from work and the kittens were too tiny to cuddle. Only recently had Bucky started feeling like the cats were truly big enough to really cuddle. Cuddle they did though, Winter, the grey one, and Shadow, the black one, were very fond of cuddling both her and Bucky. They could be aloof with guests sometimes, but never with their people, perhaps especially Bucky. Darcy thought it was because they knew Bucky needed the love.

The wintry feel of the weather meant time for flannel sheets, in Darcy’s mind. She had gotten home before Bucky, and after getting cozy in her pajamas, figured it was a good time to strip down the bedding and put the fresh, clean, flannel sheets on. Of course the cats made the whole thing a challenge, they always did. With the cats pouncing on the bed, crawling under the sheets, checking out the weird unmade state of the bed. It rarely bothered Darcy, it was too cute to be annoying. She laughed and wiggled the old sheets off slowly as the cats pounced at the corners, and then rolled around on the fitted sheet once it was the only thing left on the bed. In the midst of that, Bucky walked through the front door. Darcy giggling and rubbing the belly of Winter, as the cat rolled around on the bed. Shadow was busy sniffing the wall at the head of the bed, since it was without pillows.

“Ooo, fresh sheets. I like fresh sheets.” Bucky helped sometimes, but it was usually Darcy who actually changed the sheets, but he loved when they were fresh and clean. It was something he hadn’t had very often in his life. Growing up, he didn’t even always have a bed, he slept on the couch half the time. On the couch, he had no sheets. During the war, he was sometimes lucky just to get a shower, never mind having clean clothes or an actual bed most of the time. And as the Winter Soldier all those years, well, he didn’t have a bed, just a cryo chamber. It was only once Steve brought him into the Tower that he regularly had a bed with sheets to sleep in, and fresh, clean sheets became one of those things he found he loved the feeling of. It was soothing.

“Yup, fresh sheets, once I can get these ones off, from under the cats.” Bucky didn’t help that matter when he grabbed hold of Darcy and rolled onto his back on the bed with her. She giggled as he kissed her neck and Winter hopped up from her rolling to try to climb on them. Maybe it wasn’t getting the bed made, but it was always hard to resist nuzzling into Bucky, especially when he seemed to be so happy. Even if he was happy much more often these days, she did remember those months, before they got together, when she was just getting to know him, when she’d wander by and he would look so distant and sad.

“I promise I’ll help in a minute.” Bucky wasn’t aiming to make her task harder, he simply couldn’t resist. The day had been busy, but good, following a lead and quietly taking care of a small issue with a rogue scientist. No big confrontation, no weapons wound up being needed. He had just started running small missions with Steve and Sam a couple months earlier, some took longer and were messier than others. This one wasn’t too bad though, and he was home in time to cuddle his girlfriend and make dinner. Any mission had him coming home antsy to wrap Darcy up in his arms and cuddle her close. Perhaps the dangers of the world reminding him of what he wanted to keep safe.

“If you want to just sit and relax, I can do it, no problem.” Darcy pushed herself up a little and Bucky’s hold shifted to allow it. He never held her or restrained her if she tried to move. Darcy didn’t move away though, only lifted to her hands and knees over Bucky, so his hands settled a moment on her hips before rubbing lightly up and down her sides.

“I’m good, I just want to be with you. So I’d like to help you. I promise to actually help if you want it done.” Those eyes of his, Darcy smiled. She wasn’t in a rush anyway, but now even less so, leaning to kiss Bucky. Her lips went slow, massaging his, and he replied in kind. One of his hands drifted into her hair, pushing it out of the way a little, though little strands still tickled his cheek and neck. He didn’t mind that, actually, he rather liked it, he just wanted to touch her, touch her hair, feel her close, cradle her head softly as her lips parted, inviting a deeper kiss, lingering there longer together. That was what he wanted.

Darcy had trouble arguing with that look in his eyes, or with the way he held onto her, or how his lips moved on hers. It made leaving for work a little tough sometimes. Fortunately, currently, she didn’t have anywhere else to be, other than in his arms. They lingered until Shadow meowed in their ears and rubbed her head against theirs. The kiss broke when they both laughed. Darcy pushed herself up to sit, legs straddling Bucky’s hips, and reached to scratch Shadow’s chin. Looking back at Bucky, “how are you feeling about the holidays approaching?”

“I don’t know.” Bucky would have been lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it, with just a week or so before Thanksgiving, people were starting to talk around the building about holiday plans, decorations, gatherings, and all those things. Things Bucky hadn’t really thought much about in a very long time, at least not as anything he’d really have much active participation in anyway. Last year had been his first holiday season out of the hands of Hydra, but he had just arrived to the Tower at the time. Most of the season was spent hiding out.

“Did you used to like the holidays, or not that much?” Darcy enjoyed the holiday season, but wasn’t so crazy over it that if Bucky wanted, or needed, a really subdued holiday, that she wasn’t alright with that.

“Growing up, I loved the holidays. Life wasn’t always easy, but it was a time to come together, remember what we did have. My family couldn’t always do a lot, but whatever we could. There was a tree, most years. There were one or two where it just wasn’t possible either for money or space reasons. My sisters loved decorating, and I kind of did too. I remember my parents taking us to the first Thanksgiving parade, and I took my sisters and Steve to the first Rockefeller tree lighting. We also had a Menorah, and while there was probably more to Hanukkah than what we did sometimes, the candles were kind of a sign of hope in our house. A reminder of all that those before us endured so we could be there. But that was a lifetime ago. And last year, I really didn’t go out of the Tower until after the New Year. Christmas was just me and Steve hanging around in this room catching up, which was kind of all I wanted at the time. Now, this year, I’m not really sure. I feel like I am ready for, and want, more. But, having also watched some holiday movies and shows last year, I’m a little wary about the chaos that seems to be depicted in the modern holiday season.” Bucky had made some big strides to feeling more at ease with everything. Connecting to old memories of who he was before The Winter Soldier, finding that perhaps he wasn’t as far removed from that person as he thought he was, only that his recollections and experiences as The Winter Soldier had also contributed to who he had become. He was still cautious about new experiences, and worried about if he could react badly to something. He was assured he had no programed triggers that would make him dangerous, but he was still jumpy sometimes at certain noises, sometimes large crowds in small spaces made him uneasy, and he’d broken down on a few occasions, hands shaking, sometimes crying usually from a rush of too many things flashing through his mind at once.

“Well, if there’s anything you’re curious to try, we could, and if you decide after, or part way into that you’re uneasy about it, we can stop. I always like checking out the holiday lights, maybe once December hits we could walk around and see some lights, and if it’s too much city chaos amplified by holiday chaos, we’ll just come back. Maybe we could try just a couple of small decorations and if you don’t like them, we can take them down. I have a Menorah I was thinking of bringing out, we could light the candles for Hanukkah. Even just that if that seems like enough holiday excitement for this year. My family wants to see me for either Thanksgiving or Christmas, but it would only be like three or four days, and Steve will be here and you can hang out with him while I’m away.” Darcy saw the down turn of his expression at the end.

“Could I come with you?” Bucky’s voice was soft and unsteady, his gaze meanwhile, clung to hers, as his hands clung to her thighs.

The slightly furrowed concern in her face shifted to a warm smile, her hands rubbed softly over his stomach. “If you’d like to, of course you can. I just didn’t want you to feel any pressure to do something like that if you weren’t totally ready for it.”

“Not that it doesn’t make me nervous, very nervous maybe. But, it’s your family, and I love you, and I don’t really want to miss you for three or four days during the holidays. And I hope this is the first of many holidays to come together. Which I know would mean I could meet them later, but I don’t really want to put off meeting them. I want to know your family, even if it makes me a nervous.” Bucky squeezed her thighs before shifting to sit up, bringing himself face to face with her. Darcy’s hands traveled up his body as he moved. Her right hand sunk into his hair, while the other arm curled around his shoulders.

“I love you. If you think you’ll be okay, I’d love for you to come with me. I’ll talk to my sisters tonight or tomorrow and sort out which holiday is better, unless you have a preference.” Darcy had never brought a guy home for the holidays, or really any other time for that matter. Her mother had met one of her high school boyfriends, just once, and that had simply been because they’d stopped by the house so Darcy could grab something before going out again. The idea wasn’t without some anxiety, but mostly she was excited. She pressed a soft kiss to Bucky’s lips before just staring into him.

“Whatever you and your family are doing.” Bucky paused a moment, “what do they know about me?”

“They know who you are. There were a few concerns expressed when I first told them back in May, but after a little while, they seemed to stop worrying. So, I think they’ve already worked through any curiosity about it.” Darcy certainly hoped that they wouldn’t treat Bucky any different than they had any of her sisters boyfriends when they came to their first family gathering. Which was to be polite, friendly, and treat the person as someone who might become part of the family. Not that Darcy and Bucky had talked about just what kind of future plans there might be, it was all one day at a time, but Bucky had expressed not imagining life without her now, that seemed like a lot of commitment given the past he had, in her book.

“Have they asked questions then?” Bucky wanted to go, but a few of the nerves were tickling his mind.

“They have, and I answer them. Actually, when my mom first mentioned the holidays a couple weeks ago, she said I should, and was welcome to, bring you. I just didn’t want to make you feel obligated to something you might not be comfortable with yet. But they are interested in meeting you, and I think they’ll like you.” Winter rubbed up against Bucky’s back, making them both smile. “There is really no reason they wouldn’t love you.”

“Well,” Bucky didn’t get anything else out.

“No reason.” Her voice was firm, but her expression soft. Darcy had quickly learned Bucky’s insecurities and the way he frequently thought of himself. The Winter Soldier might always haunt him, but Darcy would always remind him, he was not that. He smiled at her, before nuzzling into her neck and holding her as tight as he felt like he could without hurting her. Bucky felt her sigh, and her body relax and try to wrap around him more. She kissed his temple and buried her nose in his hair. They sat for a while like that, Darcy only moved her hand a little to half pet one of the cats who rubbed up against Bucky’s back again.

It was actually Bucky who finally shifted, lifting his head to look at Darcy. “I suppose I should actually help you make the bed.”

“Or at least let me finish making it.” She giggled, leaning in to steal a lingering kiss before actually making any motions to slide off him and stand up. Once she did, Bucky stood up and did help her pull the fitted sheet off.

“Are those sheets?” He hadn’t spotted the stack of sheets she had set on the floor to put on the bed.

“Yeah, do you not know about flannel sheets?” Darcy hadn’t really thought about it, but maybe they weren’t really a thing back in the day.

“No, I mean, sheets are just sheets. But those are softer and thicker.” He reached out to actually touch them, brushing his fingers over the material.

“They keep more warm in, for the winter.” She had to giggle a little at his interest in something that seemed so common to her, but was obviously a new idea to him. It was fun watching him find out new things that he liked.

“Feels nice. I’m looking forward to bed even more tonight.” Bucky chuckled a bit too, gaze lingering on her. He could see her cheeks pink slightly and had to pull her close for a kiss. Just a few lazy strokes of his lips over hers, then he released her and lifted the fitted sheet from her and moved to put it on the bed, the cats shuffling from one corner to another as he went.

As Darcy moved to help Bucky with the sheet, she couldn’t help the smile plastered all over her face. Between him seeming into the sheets, and being interested in meeting her family, she was pretty excited. “We will definitely give the sheets a real test tonight.”

Bucky hadn’t really stopped chuckling, the cats were pouncing around and the look on Darcy’s face made him slightly giddy. That was something he hadn’t felt since long ago, until he found her. While she started spreading the top sheet, and the cats became bouncing lumps under it, Bucky pulled off his shoes, wanting to feel a little comfier. Darcy was already in her pajamas, so he had some catching up to do, still dressed from the day. Winter crawled out in time to see the lace on Bucky’s shoe still moving, after being dropped on the floor, and the kitty leapt from the bed to attack the shoe. Meanwhile, Bucky almost leapt onto the bed to distract Darcy, on his knees on the bed in front of her, one hand went her hip, the other in her hair, pulling her into a little kiss that they both giggled through, since Shadow had popped out of the sheet to attack Bucky’s feet. “Is this the only set of flannel sheets we have, or do we have enough to rotate new ones in and out through washings the whole winter?”

“Like them that much already, do you?” Darcy was still giggling a little. She hadn’t had the life Bucky did, laughing wasn’t such a foreign thing, but it did seem to be something that she did even more of, now that she was with Bucky.

“I think I do, yeah.” He was still holding on to her. They had time to get the bed made, and have dinner, and everything else. Bucky just wanted her close. That was always what he wanted. Darcy did nothing to suggest they needed to stop getting distracted. Not just his touch, but Bucky’s mere presence in a room made her want to get closer to him.

“I have a few sets, so there should be enough to have fresh ones to put on while another is in the laundry.” Darcy curled her arms around his body, leaning into him, while still standing at the side of the bed.

“Good, then we can have a nice warm, cozy winter.” Bucky leaned in to kiss her, and Darcy readily responded to his warm, soft lips. The bed would get made eventually, and even if it only half way got made, that was probably good enough. Hospital corners were not on her mind. She was thinking more about how they could make a mess of the bed now.


End file.
